We are sure this is not the first time you have heard the name Bassani in our magazine. Owner, big cheese, exhaust guru, however you have heard the name, Darryl Bassani has been bending pipes and making performance exhaust systems to fit motorcycles, cars, and trucks for both the street and the track for over 40 years. The Bassani Company in Anaheim, California, has a full line of exhaust systems for your V-twin needs and knows that every year things change and new models of bikes come out. One of these models is the Rocker-C, and many owners have been asking us what aftermarket pipes are out there for the bike.
We decided to install Bassani's Road Rage 2-into-1 system on our stock '08 H-D Rocker-C and run it on the dyno. We took the bike to Dyno Dave's in Orange, California, for the install and to borrow his SuperFlow Dyno. Dave has been building bikes and servicing the motorcycle world for decades, so he knows a few things. By the time we got our camera out and set up, Dave was running the bike to get the stock number. The first dyno run turned out 63.8hp and 81 lb-ft of torque. As the bike was cooling down, Dave rounded up his tools and a new set of exhaust gaskets so we could get started.
1. The Rocker-C with stock...
1. The Rocker-C with stock exhaust system.
2. The Bassani Road Rage...
2. The Bassani Road Rage 2-into-1 system is known for its low-end torque and top-end performance. Made of 16-gauge steel, the Road Rage features equal length head pipes to improve exhaust flow. A 24-inch megaphone muffler with an exhaust scavenging-designed baffle improves low-end torque. This kit comes with billet aluminum end caps and all mounting hardware, full coverage heat shields, and O2 Sensor Ports $549.95.
3. Dave started with removing...
3. Dave started with removing the stock exhaust pipes, heat shields, and mounting bracket. Then he removed the old exhaust gaskets and replaced them with a new set.
4. With the old pipes off...
4. With the old pipes off the bike, Dave removed the O2 sensors and mounting flanges.
5. Next, the new Bassani...
5. Next, the new Bassani bracket was installed to the frame. At this time the bracket was left loose until the head pipe and muffler were installed. A small amount of thread-locker was applied to all the bolts.
6. Then the header pipes...
6. Then the header pipes for both the front and rear cylinders were installed but not tightened all the way, We still needed to connect the muffler.
7. Once the muffler was in...
7. Once the muffler was in place Dave started to tighten everything up with the head pipe first, followed by the muffler.
8. The two rear lower bolts...
8. The two rear lower bolts to the muffler were bolted to the mounting bracket. Dave was careful to make sure that both bolts were spaced properly then torqued to Bassani specifications.
9. Then Dave installed the...
9. Then Dave installed the pipe clamps onto the heat shields, then placed them over the pipe and routed the clamps so that the tightening hardware would be hidden.
10. Next was the heat shield...
10. Next was the heat shield for the collector to the muffler. This needed to be lined up carefully so that the chrome on the muffler was not damaged. Dave placed a rag over the muffler until the shield was bolted in place.
11. Here is the Rocker with...
11. Here is the Rocker with the 2-into-1 Road Rage system. We think it is a good-looking improvement to the bike as well as the sound. The pipe at idle was smooth and deep and as soon as we were on the rpm, it was throaty and sounded very aggressive. We have a sound clip up on the web at www.hotbikeweb.com.